NHL: New York Islanders vs Florida Panthers | 20 April, 7:30 AM (PST)

[Mary C]

POTENTIAL STARTING LINEUPS: 

NEW YORK ISLANDERS 

C | Brock Nelson 

LW | Anders Lee 

RW | Anthony Beauvillier 

LD | Zdeno Chara 

RD | Noah Dobson 

G | Ilya Sorokin 

 

FLORIDA PANTHERS 

C | Sam Bennett 

LW | Carter Verhaeghe 

RW | Anthony Duclair 

LD | Ben Chiarot 

RD | MacKenzie Weegar 

G | Sergei Bobrovsky 

 

The New York Islanders brace themselves as they take on the rising Florida Panthers with a 10-game winning streak and an average of staggering 5.3 goals per game through the stretch. While the Panthers are hopeful for an extended playoff run, the Islanders have officially been eliminated from the postseason race after losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs at 4-2. Both clubs have met twice this season, with the Panthers emerging victorious almost effortlessly. 

 

So far, the New York Islanders have not had the best season with a record of 35-31-9, and nothing to look forward to in the playoffs. The team is 5th in the Metropolitan Division, with 28 shots and 42 hits, with 27 faceoffs won and 46 penalty minutes. Ilya Sorokin is showing to be one of NHL’s top goalkeepers with a .927 save percentage in his second NHL season, 2.31 goals against average, and 12.1 goals saved above expected. The team can only hope that Sorokin can carry them, especially since over the last ten games, the Islanders have been the 4th worst club in NHL in terms of controlling expected goals at 5-on-5 with 42.69%. With Semyon Varlamov on the sidelines due to illness, Sorokin will most likely start for the fifth time. 

 

Unlike the Islanders, the Florida Panthers have consistently and expectedly triumphed over their opponents. They are 1st in the Atlantic Division with a record of 54-15-6, 36 shots, 26 hits, 26 faceoffs won and 9 penalty minutes. The team was able to win 10 games in a row, and it is clear that they would not let the Islanders break their streak. They have won the last two games against the Islanders by 6-1. Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight have been splitting the workload in the Panthers’ last four games, with Knight earning the win against Detroit. Hopefully, Bobrovsky will earn the win for the upcoming game. 

 

Without a doubt, the Florida Panthers should win with no unnecessary nerves. The advantages of the Panthers are obvious to anyone, especially since Islanders’ Sorokin might have difficulty in carrying the team’s recent poor expected goals percentage which might just bring an 11-winning streak to Florida. 

 

Wednesday, April 20, 2022, 7:30 AM (PST). UBS Arena, Elmont, New York.